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Christina Tosi, the founder of Milk Bar, one of the most famous bakeries in the country, shares an easy bar recipe from her new cookbook, All About Cookies. Made with layers of pumpkin puree and dulce de leche on a cinnamon crust, it's SO good, and special enough to serve at Thanksgiving dinner or any holiday gathering. 

"I fell in love with the combo of pumpkin and dulce de leche (sweetened condensed milk cooked down to a caramelized state) when we dreamed it up as the star layers of a cinnamon-butterscotch sponge cake at Milk Bar. When I need to get a quick fix of this killer combo, I turn to these simple yet marvelous bars, both crumble-textured and smooth." —Christina  

For more sweet recipes from Christina, check out her Strawberry Shortcake Truffles and Apple Cider Doughnut Cake. 

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Crust:
  • ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons (115 grams) flour
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the Dulce de Leche Layer:
  • 2/3 cup (175 grams) dulce de leche
For the Pumpkin Layer:
  • 6 ounces (75 grams) cream cheese
  • ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon (.5 grams) ground cinnamon
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup (75 grams) unsweetened canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract

Yield

Serves: Makes 9 squares

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350°F. Pan-spray an 8 × 8-inch square baking dish. 

For the cinnamon crust, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt with a spatula until well combined. Mix in the melted butter and toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to the greased baking dish. Using your palm and fingertips, firmly and evenly press it in, covering the dish's bottom. 

For the dulce de leche layer, pour all of the dulce de leche on top of the crust, spreading evenly to cover the bottom layer entirely. 

For the pumpkin layer, in a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix until smooth and well combined. Pour this mixture atop the dulce de leche, spreading evenly to all sides of the baking dish, covering the dulce layer entirely. 

Bake at 350°F until the pumpkin top is set but still jiggles back at you, 40 to 45 minutes. 

Cool completely in the pan. Cut into 9 squares. Store in an airtight container or plastic wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Excerpted from All About Cookies by Christina Tosi. Copyright © 2022 by Christina Tosi. Used with permission by Clarkson Potter. All rights reserved.